Instrument for recording inclination



April 11, 1933- w. l. MOLAUGHUN ET AL 1,903,512

INSTRUMENT FOR RECORDING INCLINATION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 3, 1930April 11, 1933- w, I. MCLAUGHLIN ET AL 1,903,512

INSTRUMENT FOR RECORDING INCLINATION Filed Nov. 5, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2April 1933- w. MCLAUGHLIN ET AL 1,903,512

INSTRUMENT FOR RECORDING INCLINATION Filed Nov. 5, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet s[WE/Xian? f/Yciaayiziin Fez we? 6. Waieme a":

mean Apr. "if, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM I. mcLAUenLIN,or PIEDMONT, AND nurnn'r e. WEDEIIEYER. or DALo L'ro,

CALIFORNIA; sAID wnnnmmmn ASSIGNOB r0 STANDARD on. comrANY or cALI-ronNIA, or arm rnANcIsco, CALIFORNIA, A coaronA'rIoN or DELAWABE- vINSTRUMENT FOR RECORDING INCLINATION Application filed November 3, 1930.Serial No. 493,057.

This invention relates to an instrument for recording the inclination ofthe dull pipe during the drilling of oil wells, and more specificallyrelates to an instrument adapted to be mounted in the drill collar oripe during the drilling operation and to be actuated by pumping a ballthrough the I throat of the instrument.

In the drilling'of oil wells the use of drill pipe and the forcing of adrilling fluid such as mud down through the drill pipe to wash out thecuttings is so common and so thoroughly understood by thoseskilled inthe drilling art that further description 1s deemed unnecessary.

An instrument as described in these specifications and as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, as will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art, is applicable for a great many different uses, but for thepurpose of illustration will be described and illustrated as adapted tooil well sur-veylng.

In drilling oil well bores it is desirable to drill a straight holewhich will be perpendicular to the normal surface of the earth. However,in the course of drilling the well,

the drilling tool is often deflected or, as is commonly termed, driftsfrom its true course. The'driller can operate the drilling tool to bringthe well bore back to its true course providing he knows the approximatelocality of the drift. It is, therefore, the principal object of thisinvention to provide an instrument which may be mounted in the drillpipe and arranged whereby the instrument may be actuated to record theinclination of the drill pipe where and when deemed necessary.

To withdraw the drill pipe requires considerable time and labor and istherefore expensive and consequently the drill pipe is run as long aspossible before being withdrawn and it is therefore important to providean instrument which may be actuated a number of times to record theinclination of the drill pipe during a single run.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an instrument whichmay be actuated to record a plurality of readings during a single run ofthe drill pipe.

It is a further object of this invention to v provide an instrumentwhich will permit the running in and the withdrawal of-the drill pipewithout causing the instrument to be actuated.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an instrument whichmay be actu-.

ated by dropping a ball into the drill pipe and thence pumping the ballthrough the throat of the instrument.

A further object of this invention is to provide a magazine forreceiving and storing the balls which have been pumped through thethroat of the instrument so that a plurality of readings may betaken-during a single run of the drill pipe;

It is a further object of this invention to provide an instrument havinan oil seal and pressure equalizing means %or the plumb bob chamber. K

Another object of this invention is to provide an instrument having areplaceable recording disc.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the specification anddrawings.

This invention consists in the novel parts and combinations of parts tobe described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce anefiicient and easily operated instrument for recording theinclination'of a drill pipe. I

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification and illustrated in the 'drawings, while the full scope ofthe invention is pointed outin the appended claims.-

In the drawings:

, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the inventionillustrating the position of the parts as normally'maintained andillustrat- It is another object of this invention to ing a ball enteringthe throat of the instrument to cause the instrument to actuate theplumb bob into recording engagement with the disc and also illustrates aball which has passed through the throat and is supported in the ballmagazine.

Figure 2 illustratesan elevational view of the instrument looking in thedirection toward the ball magazine of Figure 1 and further illustratinga portion of the instrument in section.

Figure 3 is a sectional view substantially on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 illustrates a modification of Figure 1.

F i re 5 illustrates a sectional view of a modi ed form of the inventionand further illustrates the instrument being actuated by the ballpassing through the throat of the instrument.

Figure 6 illustrates a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating theinstrument actuated to record the inclination of the drill pipe and alsoa number of balls received and held by the ball magazine.

Figure 7 is a sectionalview substantially on the line 77 of Figure 5. i

Figure 8 is a further modified view of the invention illustrating a ballabout to be forced through the throat of the instrument.

Figure 9 is a similar view of Figure 8 illustrating the ball as it isforced through the throat of the instrument causin the instrument to beactuated into recording engagement, and also illustrating a ball in themagazine.

Figure 10 is a sectional view substantially on line 1010.of Figure 9.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in thedrawings and espe' cially in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, a suitablesupporting tube 1 is provided. The supportin tube 1 may be of anysuitable size for retaming the instrument and aligning the mstrument,within the inner bore of the drill pipe or collar indicated at 2.Suitably mounted in the'upper end of the tube 1 1s a plug member 3having an opening or throat 4 passin therethrough. The throat 4 may beenlarge at its upper end as at 5 to perm1t the ready entrance of theball to be later described. The plug 3 is provided with a horizontalbore 6 extending into the throat 4 and in which there is operativelymounted a ball 7 The ball 7 is urged toward the throat 4 and projectspartially therein by means of a spring 8 which is retained b a plug 9.The ball 7 is prevented from I emg forced by spring 8 into throat 4 byany suitable means such as by slightly reducing the diameter of the endof horizontal bore 6 to a slightly smaller diameter than the diameter ofthe ball 7 I Projecting into the horizontal bore 6 is the actuating rodor member 10. The upper end of rod 10 is guided and slidabl supported inplug 3 and at its lower end is anged as at 11 and is suitably mountedupon the bob actuating plunger 12 and is normally maintained in itsupper operative position by means of spring 13 and locked at apredetermined setting by means of the plunger nut 14.

Suitably secured to tube 1 is a bracket member 15. Screwed or otherwisesecured to bracket member 15 is a plumb bob cylinder head 16. The plumbbob cylinder head 16 is provided with a guide bore 17 through which theplumb bob plunger 12 passes. The lower end of the cylinder head 16 issuitably screwthreaded to receive the plumb bob enclosing tube 18 whichis sealed at its lower end by means of a' suitable plug 19. The plug 19is removable and has suitably mounted thereon a recording disc 20. Theplumb bob cylinder head 16 is provided with an enlarged bore 21 adjacentthe lower end of the guide bore 17 to form a fluid seal and pressureequalizing I its lower end with a ball and socket mount-' ing 23 havingan upper diameter substantially the same diameter of the enlarged bore21 and a flange of larger diameter to prevent ball and socket mounting23 from rising into the bore 21 further than a predetermined distanee,as is clearly illustrated in Figure l.

A plumb bob 24 is mounted in the ball and socket mounting 23 to permitthe plumb bob 24 to swing freely in all directions when the plumb bob 24is raised above and free from the concave recording surface of therecording disc 20.

As the instrument just described is to be actuated by pumping ballsthrough throat 3, it is necessary to provide a suitable means ormagazine for receiving the balls after they have been pumped throughthroat 4, and for this purpose there are provided two magazine rods 25suitably mounted at their upper ends in plug 3 and at the lower ends inthe brackets 15 and provided with a support member 26 positioned uponthe rods 25 slightly above the plumb bob plunger 12 and held in suchposition by any suitable means such as the supporting tubes 27 whichsurround rods 25 and maintain the support 26 at position as illustratedin Figure 1.

Rod 25 and tube 27 are clearly illustrated in section in Figure 2 andillustrate one form of mounting rods 25 in bracket 15. A further View ofthis arrangement is illustrated in Figure 3. For convenience of handlingand for removing the balls from the instrument after the instrument hasbeen removed from the casing, there is provided an elongated slot 28.

The instrument as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is mounted in thelower end of the drill pipe, or the drill collar adjacent the ballfinally reaching and passing into the throat 4 of plug 3. The pumpswhich furnish the drilling-fluid are then turned. on and ball 29 isforced through throat 4 and'as it passes through throat 4, is engaged bythe rods'25 and is directed to the ball magazine as illustrated inFigures 1, 2 and especially Figure 3 and the ball 29 is maintainedwithin the magazine until the drill pipe is withdrawn from the well andthe instrument taken out of the drill pipe.

It will be noted from the arrangement of the instrument that the ballmagazine is provided so that a number of balls may be forced through theinstrument at difl'erent intervals during the drilling operation and arereceived and held by the ball magazine until the instrument is removedfrom the drill pipe.

It will be noted from Figure 1 that as ball 29 passes through the throat4 of plug 3 the small ball 7 is engaged and forced inward so that ball 7engages the upper end of the operating rod 10, thus forcing rod 10downward against the action of spring 13 forcing the plumb bob plunger12 downward which forces the plumb bob 24 into recording engagement withdisc 20.

In orderthat the disc 20 may receive an impression from the plumb bob24, the disc 20 may be made of wood, White metal, brass or othersuitable material. After the ball 29 has passed beyond the-range of thesmall ball 7, the spring 8 forces ball 7 to return to its initialposition and spring 13 forces the plumb bob plunger 12 upward towithdraw the bob from the recording disc and also to carry the operatingrod 10 back to its initial position.

The operation just described may be repeated a number of times,depending upon the capacity of the ball receiving magazine. When thedrill pipe is removed from the well the drilling fluid contained in thedrill pipe is permitted to drain through the instrument and upon removalof the instrument from the drill pipe or collar 2, the balls 29contained in the magazine may be readily removed through the elongatedslot 28.

In the modification of Figure 1, as shown in Figure 4, it will be notedthat ball 7, spring 8 and plug 9 have been replaced by a bell cranklever 30 which is pivoted to .plug 34 by means of a pin 31. A stop 32 isprovided tion of the instrument having the modification operatingmechanism as illustrated in Figure 4 is substantially the same as theoperation just described for the instrument as illustrated in Figures 1,2 and 3.

It will be noted in Figure 4 that ball 33 is just engaging the upper armof bell crank lever 30 and will force the upper arm of bell crank lever30 inward as the ball 33 is forced through plug member34 and also thelower arm of the bell crank lever 30 engages and will actuate the.operating rod 35, causing the operating rod 35 to actuate the plumb bobinto recording engagement with the disc just as the operating rod 10causes plumb bob 24 to engage disc 20 of Figure 1.

To insure the proper functioning of the plumb bob 24 of-Figure 1, itisdesirable that the plumb bob be mounted within a chamber which isfilled with water, oil or other suitable fluid so that the drilling mudor fluid will not interfere with the proper functioning of the plumb bob24. To accomplish this, it will be noted that plumb bob 24 is encased bymeans of plug 19, casing 18' and head 16. It is further necessary toequalize the pressure within the plumb bob chamber with the pressure ofthe drilling fluid surrounding the eneasing structure. For this purposethere is provided through the head member 16 a pressure equalizing-port22 which communicates between the enlarged bore 21 of member 16 and theexterior of the encasing chamber. As the enlarged bore 21 is closed bymeans of the ball and socket joint member 23, an equalizing passage 22is provided through member 23.

When the instrument is assembled, the chamber in which the plumb bob ismounted is filled with a suitable fluid. The equalizing port 22, theenlarged bore 21 and equalizing passage 22' are each filled with thesame fluid, and by this structure the pressure within the plumb bobchamber is equalized with the pressure exterior thereof and the drillingfluid is prevented from working its way into the plumb bob chamber.

In the modified form of this invention as illustrated in Figures 5, 6and 7, the instrument is mounted within the drill pipe or casing suchas, for example, the drill collar 50 and drill pipe 51 by means of aflange member 52 mounted between the drill collar'50 and the drill pipe51'and by which the instrumentma be suitably supported.

t is preferable fiiprovide the drill collar with a throat 53 to guidethe operating ball 54 so that the ball 54 when pumped through the throat53 will engage and force down-" ward a tube member 55 which is normallyheld in the position illustrated in Figure 5 by means of a spring 56and'is supported and guided at its lower end by the flange able spring59. Spring 59 normally urges washer 57 upward and into engagement with apin or other suitable means 60 for engagingv and moving the plunger 58upward.

As previously stated, when the member 55 is forced downward by means ofthe ball 54, the lower end of the member 55 engages washer 57 and forcesthe washer downward against the pressure of spring 59, and it will benoted that the spring 56 which normally holds the member 55 in its upperposition, also engages the upper end of plunger 58 so that when themember 55 is forced downward, spring 56 urges plunger 58 downwardcarrying the recording disc 61 into recording enagement with a pivotallymounted plumb To support the recording disc 61 upon the lower end ofplunger 58 any suitable means such as the flange member 63 may be pro-Vided. To prevent the plunger 58 from being forced downward more than apredetermined amount, a collar 64 is suitably mounted thereon. Suitablemeans are provlded for supporting the plumb bob to bracket member. 52.These means may include a spacing tube 65 suitably secured at its upperend to bracket member 52 and'supporting at its lower end a plumb bobchamber head 66which supports the plumb bob encasing member 67. Suitablymounted in the plumb bob encasing member 67 is the pivotally mountedplumb bob 62.

By means of the structure just described, there is formed a plumb bobchamber 68 and to equalizethe pressure therein there is provided one ormore pressure equalizing passages 69. It may be also desirable toprovide the member 55 with one or more pressure equalizing passages 70.

A ball magazine of any suitable type may be provided which, in thepresent case, comprises rods 71 and 72 and operates as illustrated inFigure 6 to hold the plurality of balls which have been forced throughthe instrument to actuate the instrument to record the inclination ofthe drill pipe. A rod 73 is suitably mounted in bracket 52 and extendsupward adjacent the upper end of member 55 and assists in directing theballs 54 as they pass through the throat 53 to pass into the ballmagazine.

Like in the instrument illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, when it isdesired to make a reading to determine whether the drill pipe hasdrifted from its true course, a ball 54 is dropped into the drill pipeand forced through throat 53 by the pressure of the drilling fluid. Ball54, as it passes through throat 53, engages and forces member 55downward compressing spring 56' until the lower end of I pointed needleof the plumb bob. When ball 54 has passed into the ball magazine springs56 and 59 return the parts to their initial position as illustrated inFigure 5, where disc 61 is free from the plumb bob needle.

In the modified form of this invention illustrated in Figures 8, 9 and10 a different form of mounting is illustrated. Between the box 80 andpin 81 of a tool joint 82 is an intermediate member 83. A plug 85 isheld by means of a flange 86 between box 80 and member 83 and isprovided with a throat 87. The throat ma be grooved as at 88 to permit aflow of drilling fluid past plug 85 when ball 89 is passing throughthroat 87. Suspended from plug 85 by suitable means such as rods 90 1s aspider 91 which may have three arms bob chamber 97. Mounted in chamber97 is a' partition 98 to which bob 92 is pivotally mounted as at 99.Chamber 97 is arranged to be filled with water, oil or other fluid andbase 96 isprovided with pressure equalizing valves 100 and 101. i r

A tubular actuating member 102 is slidably mounted in spider 91 andextends to adjacent throat 97 and slidably mounted in the member 102 andslidably extending through head 94 is plunger rod 103.

Positioned within and acting against the upper end of tube 102 andagainst plunger 103 is spring 104. To prevent tube 102 from being forcedbeyond a predetermined lmit by spring 103, the lower end of tube 102 isflanged as at 105 and abuts against the under side of spider 91. Awasher 106 is slidably mounted on plunger 103 and is arranged to engageshoulder 107 of plunger 103 to permit spring 108 to resiliently retainplunger 103 in its upper position as illustrated in Figure 8.

To limit the downward movement of plunger 103 a suitable adjustable stopmeans may be provided such as lock nuts 109 and 110, screw-threaded uponplunger 103 and arranged to engage head 94.

A piston 111 is suitably secured to the lower end of plunger 103 andcarries a concaved recording disc 112 of wood,- white metal, brass orother suitable material.

Disc 112 may be removably secured to piston 111 by means of screws 113.

In normal operaton the plumb bob chamber is filled with a suitable fluidand then the instrument is assembled into' tool joint 82 and the drillpipe lowered into the well. The position of the parts are as illustratedin Figure 8 excepting that ball 89 is not positioned within throat 87.Throat 87 with grooves 88 permit the drilling fluid to ente r and fillthe drill pipe as the drill pipe is lowered and also permits the pumpingof the drilling fluid past the instrument during the drilling operation.When the operator desires to take a reading the rotation of the drillpipe is stopped and a ball 89 is dropped into the drill pipe. The balldrops through the drilling fluid until itv reaches throat 87. Thepressureis appliedflto the drilling fluid which forces ball 89 throughthroat 87 cansing ball 89 to engage and force downward the tube member102; spring 104 is compressed and flange 105 of tube 102 engages andforces downward washer 106, relieving the tension of spring 108 fromshoulder 107 of plunger 103 and thus permitting spring 104 toresiliently urge plunger 102 downward and consequently disc 112 carriedby plunger 102 is forced into engagement with plumb bob 92. After ball89 has passed into the ball magazine formed by rods 90 and spider 91,spr ngs 104 and 108 return the parts to their initial position, movingdisc 112 clear of bob 92.

To assist ball 89 into the magazine, guide rod 114 is secured into plug85 and extends downward and toward tube member 102. In each of theinstruments, after the record has been completed the drilling operat onmay be continued until a further reading is desired and then theoperation above described is repeated. In each of the instrumentsreadings may be taken as often as desired during the drilling operation,it being only necessary to sto I the rotation of the drill pipe to allowsu ficient time for the plumb bob to seek its true vertical plane,dropping a ball into the drill pipe, and-forcing the ball through theinstrument into the ball magazine by fluid pressure. The rotation of thedrill pipe may then be again started and drilling continue It isunderstood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is onlyone of the many embodiments this invention may take, and we do not, wishto be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims,

- to the particularembodiment set forth.

We claim: I s p 1. An instrument for recording inclination including thecombination of a-plumbbob and disc recording means, an actuating ball,means operable by said ball to actuate said bob and disc into recordingengagement, and automatic means operable thereafter to actuate said hoband disc out of recording engagement.

2. An instrument for recording inclination including the combination ofa plumbbob and disc recording means, a plurality of actuating balls,means operable by said balls for actuating said hob and disc intorecording engagement, means for actuating said bob and disc out ofrecording engagement, and a magazine means for receiving said balls.

3. An instrument for recording inclination including a recording means,an actuating ball, means operable by said ball to actuate said recordingmeans into recording engagement, ball receiving means to remove saidball from engagement with said actuatingmeans, and automatic means forthereafter actuating said recording means out of recording engagement.

4. An instrument for recording inclination including a plumb-bob anddisc recording means, a plurality of actuating balls, means operable bysaid balls'for resilientl actuatingsaid recording means into record ingengagement, means for uiding said balls out of engagement with saiifactuating means after said balls have operated said actuating means, andmeans. for thereafter receiving and retaining said balls out ofeffective engagement with said actuatingmeans.

bob out of engagement with said disc, a plurality of actuatin balls, andmeans actuated by said balls or resiliently forcing said bob intorecording engagement with said 6. An instrument for recordinginclination including a supporting-structure, a recording disc supportedby said structure, a plumb-bob, means for pivotally and slidablymounting said bob in said structure, means for yieldingly retaining saidbob out of engagement with said disc, a plurality of actuating balls,means actuated by said balls for momentarily forcing said bob intorecording engagement with said disc, and means for thereafter receivingsaid balls.

7. An instrument'for recording inclination including a su portingstructure having a throat, a plumbob operatively mounted in saidstructure, an operating plunger slidably mounted in said structure andhaving one end positioned adjacent said throat,a

disc plunger slidably mounted in said structure, a recording discmounted upon said disc plunger, a spring means resiliently connectingsaid plungers, a second spring means yieldingly acting through said discplunger for holding said disc out of recording engagement with said bob,a plurality of actuating balls adapted to pass through said throat andto engage and actuate said operating plunger 'to thereby operate throughsaid first spring means and said discplunger 5. An instrument forrecording inclination including a supporting structure, a

to resiliently force said disc into recording engagement with said hob,and a, magazine for receiving said balls.

Si ed at San Francisco this 29th day of Octo er, 1930.

WILLIAM I. MCLAUGmJIN. RUPERT G. DEBMYER.

